With a nod towards the hotly contested Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary election on April 22, Nutter added, “I think getting in touch with local elected officials is an important component of driving this agenda. It’s very difficult for federal officials, at times, to ignore the leaders of the major cities across America because they know some how, some way, they have to come back.”

Nutter also told summit attendees to continue to fight against the apathetic attitude towards education plaguing many Black inner-city communities.

“This whole notion that somehow, some way, if I talk a certain way, if I study hard, if I get good grades, somebody might be able to say to me ‘you’re trying to act White — no, I’m trying to act like I’ve got some sense, and move on with my life and do something with my life,’” Nutter said to smatterings of applause.

Among the organizations and federal agencies represented at the Black male summit were Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. sorority, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. the National Alliance of Black School Educators, the National Council on Educating Black Children, the National Black Child Development Institute, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Lumina Foundation for Education, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Founded in 1983, the Presidents’ Round Table of African-American CEOs is an affiliate organization of the National Council on Black American Affairs, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges. For more information, visit www.ccc.edu/roundtable. For more on this story, see the May 1 issue of Diverse.

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